Convection heater



Dec. 13, 1927. 1,652,438

w. WTHICKS CONVECTION HEATER Original Filed Nov. 14, 1924 Fll'5 lv FIE;E

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to form upwardly inclined passageways.

Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

YUNITEDISTATES} WILLIAM WESLEY HICKS. or sAiv FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CONVECTION HEATER. 4

Original application filed November 14, 1924, Serial No. ceases. Divided aim this application as I January 26', 1926.

This application is a division of'the applicants copending case No 749,866, filed Nov. 14, 1924, entitled Convection. heater and relatesfigenerally to an improvement in electrical air heaters such as arecommonly employedin heatingthe rooms of a building. Such a heater is disclosed in my Patent No.

1,518,067, issued Dec. 2, 1924, and entitled Electric heater. A

In heaters of the above type it is common practice to employ electrical heatingelements which are operated at relatively hightemperature so as to radiate a large amount of heat. If such a heater is provided with an open front grill for the free passage of convection currents .of air arestricted space in front of the heater will be directly exposed to this radiant heat. In many instances this is objectionable; for example, it may create a serious fire-hazard or. Where the occupants must remain in one position those within the restricted area experience an unpleasantly high degree of'heat.

It is an object of this invention to provide an electrical air heater'with means for intercepting radiant heat which is radiated from the heating elements in a given general direction. a i

It is a further object of th'isinvention to provide an electrical heater of the open front housing type with a grill in which the air passages are arranged at an angle to the general direction from which itis desired to intercept radiant heat.

It is a further object-of this invention to construct a grill for an electrical air heater with a louver bar arrangement to intercept radiant heat from the heating elements. I

It is a. further object of this invention to construct a grill for an electrical air heater with a louver bar arrangement to intercept radiant heat from the heating elements, the bars in the lowerportion being arranged to form downwardly inclined passages and those in the upper portion being arranged It is another object of this-invention to construct a grill for'an electrical air heater with a louver bar arrangement and to pro- 'vide an auxiliary baffle on the grill to maintain the louver bars relatively cool.

Further objects of the invention will appear in the following descriptlon n which Serial no. 83,802.'

PATENT oFF EQ the preferred embodiment of the-invention has been set forth in detail.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse cross sectional view showingan electrical air heater embodying the improvement of this invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section taken alon'g'the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 21'showing- .a modified construction.

The device has been illustratedin the;

drawino .-,-s as being applied to a wall type of electrical air heater. --However, it is obvious that the novel features as defined bythe appended claims may be applied to any form of electrical heaterwhich employs a source of radiant heat. comprises generall 7 bottom wall 11, back wall 12 and an upper forwardly curved wall 1-3. Within thishousing there is arranged a shell 14 which is'correspondingly provided with a bottom wall shell 14, being preferably supported upon the bottom wall 15. -The front edges of The heater shown y a housing-10 having a g 15, back wall 16 and an upperforwardly A plurality of electrical the housing 10 and the shell 14 are secured to" a common frame'19 as shown in Fig. 2 sothat the shell is supported in spaced rela- J 'tionship to the housing. The front portion 'of theheater is inclosed by a grill=21 which is adapted to allow convection currents of air to pass into the lower (portion'ofthe casing, upward between the shell and the hous ng, and out of the upper portion of As shownin the drawings, the

the'housing. 4 heater may be set into an open ng 22in a wall 23. r

With the arrangement above described itwill be 'obvious'that the heating elements 18 willtend to radiate a large amount of heat thru the front grill 21, that .is'iii the general direction forward of; the heater. cept this radiant heat the grill is constructed with a plurality of spaced bars 26 and 2 7 arrangement. This construction-"provides a which are inclined to form a louver like grill with "a plurality of passageways which are inclined toward the. general direction I from which it is desired to interce t radiant 1y of: the heating elements 18 will be Spar heat. Therefore, the heat radiate: forward:

osi

To inter tially reflected backward and partially absorbed by the exposed surfaces of the bars 'o convection currents of air. amount "of. the radiant heat striking the 26' and 27. The bars 26 are preferably inclined downwardly and the bars 27 inclined upwardly in order to facilitate passage of convection currents of air into and out of the housing and shell. Thus the heat which normallywould be radiated directly forward of the heater is taken up by convection currents of air. As the bars 26 and 27 are of substantial width as shown, the heat absorbed by the same may be efiectivelyimparted to convection currents ofair to mainta'ili the outer face of the bafiie relatively coo In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the intermediate portion of the grill 2]. directly in frontof the heating elements 18 is provided with an auxiliary bafiie 28 which extends acrossthe front of the shell 14. This baflie is preferably constructedinthe form of a corrugated plate 2.9 secured adjacent the innerface 0 the grill 21 and extending from the'l'evel of the bottom of the heating elementsto a point adjacent the upper ends thereof. Thus the bailie plate in conjunction with the grill 21-provides ati ous open ended flues 30 for thepassage A certain inner surfaces'of the plate 29 is'reflected by means of the housing 10 while the remainder is absorbed and taken up by convection currents of air passing through the passageways 30. By means of this construction the bars 26 and- 27 of the means forming a chamber in which the element is supported, a series ofslanting bars forming'a louver-like arrangement in front of the chamber,- to permit air to. circulate past the element, and an vauxiliary baflie disposed between the bars and the element,

and forming a vertical air passageway betweenlit and the bars.

.2. In an electric heatena heating element,

means forming a chamber in which theelement' is supported, a series ofsla-nting bars forming a louve -like arrangement in front said grill being series of. conv I grill are maintained I relatively cool 'where the radiant heat inter:

of the chamber, to permit air to circulate past the element, the upper portion of the bars slanting outwardly in an upward direction, and the lower portion slanting outwardly in -a downward direction, and an auxiliary baffle disposed between the bars and the element, and forming a vertical air passageway between it and the bars.

- 3. An air heater comprising a housing having an-open front, heating means within said housing, and a grill extending over said open front spaced from said heating means, formed with a plurality of downwardly inclined passageways in its, lower portion and a plurality of upwardly inclined passageways in its upper portion whereby convection currents of air may freelypass into the lower and out of the 11 per portion of the grill but heat radiated rom said heating means will be intercepted.

I 4. An electrical air heater comprising a housing. having an open side, radiant heating means within said housing, a grill extending over said open side, said grill including a plurality of spaced inclined bars, and an auxiliary baflie interposed between said grill and said heating means.

5. An electrical air heater comprising a housing having an open side, radiant heating means within said housing, a rill extending over said 0 en side, said gril including a plurality: o spaced inclined bars, and an auxiliary bafile interposed between said grill .and said heating means, said baflle forming a series of open ended flues.

6; In an electric air heater, an electrical heating element adapted to radiate a substantial amount of heat, a housing enclosing said element and having'an open side, anda baflie secured to'said'housing and serving to intercept heat tending to radiate thru said side,

said baffle comprising a plurality of spaced inclined louver-bars whereby convec- Lion currents of air may pass into and out of the housing between said bars, said bars being of substantial width whereby the outer face of the baflle is maintained at a relatively cool safe temperature.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM WESLEY HICKS. 

